This entry is really long overdue. Haven’t had time to sit in front of the laptop and write anything unrelated to work. Like the Mulu trip, Krabi was a sudden spur of the moment get-a-away holiday. It was Farrah’s brainchild. She wanted to go Krabi alone, but informed myself and Swan when we were on our way to the Port Dickson lighthouse. From a solo intended trip, it became Farrah + 2 trip. With Farrah and Swan, going anywhere without prior planning is the norm rather than the exception. It was a 3 day-2 nights trip that I would never forget. ‘Til this day, I wished we had stayed longer.
On our first day, we went shopping, food tasting and sight seeing. We road their tuk tuk, tasted their chocolate banana pancakes, their local dishes, and how can we leave out ‘tom yam’! The interesting part about Krabi is that the population is 50% Buddhist, and 50% Muslim. Finding halal food is not a problem. Our problem was we kept speaking Bahasa because we keep confusing them for Malaysians! Nevertheless, we managed to pick up a few Thai phrases. Most memorable moments: 3 Malaysian girls buying out the Boots store. Hell, we sat on the floor and surveyed all the goods before throwing them into our basket/carts. That night we combined all the loot we got and photographed them!
The second day was a full boat tour of the many beautiful islands. We specifically requested the Phi Phi Island tour; infamous after the movie ‘The Beach’ came out. That was my first ever snorkelling experience in crystal clear water. I was so excited to see the different fish and corals. I also had the opportunity to feed fish! Even with a small piece of bread in my hand, the fish would swarm towards me and eat away. Fantastic! The actual Phi Phi island actually had its own town! I swear it looked bigger, more populated with more facilities than Port Dickson. Shame! It was so surprising that in the middle of the ocean, on this beautiful remote island, there is a town with many ATMs, diving shops, hotels, restaurants, gaming stores and other stores! Incredible! We made friends with a beautiful Indian couple (because we happen to be at the same place at the same time for all of our destinations!), and shopped again that night for souvenirs. To conclude the night, we had the must-have Thai massage for RM 20/hour. I had the ful body Thai massage, Swan had the head and shoulders massage, while Farrah being the ticklish lady that she is, opted for the head massage.
Last and saddest day: We kayaked at our hotel, and managed to stop by Tesco and get Farrah’s dad the yellow Thai king shirt as a souvenir.
Summary of the Krabi trip:
· Thailand has done an excellent job to create Krabi as a unique stand-alone tourism center.
In Krabi town, you can find clean toilets, plenty of Italian restaurant/eateries, Starbucks, Swensens, McDs, KFC, Dunkin Donuts with advanced donuts than in Malaysia, massage parlors, tailoring stores and ATMs on every block.
· The toilets on each and every remote island we visited are clean! And they’re all sitting toilets. Amazing!
· The Thais are naturally friendly, helpful and so polite. Malaysians really pale in comparison.
· Almost very Krabi-an owns a boat! It’s as cheap as cars. This is probably due to their low import tax since they don’t have a national car industry to protect. Good for them!
· Almost every Krabi-an has a business. They are so independent it makes you smile. Hardly any government officer in sight. You see a lot of 4-wheel drives, trucks, tuk tuks and boats around town. Malaysia can learn from the Krabi experience to promote its tourism spots like Port Dickson, Redang, etc. What the Thais did was, they added value to their natural attraction. Other than offering beautiful beaches and snorkelling, they want to improve the holidays of tourists by providing world-class facilities, diving services, and having global stores set up to boost spending. What a way to go! Hence, I definitely recommend Krabi as an affordable but rewarding vacation to all of you. It makes it even better if you go with good company! If not, the Thais will be your friends!
Asma wan signing off
